As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,788, a conventional automotive display device may be installed in a dashboard portion of an automotive vehicle. An automotive display device comprising a pop-up type display unit may be supported so as emerge from and submerge into the interior of the dashboard portion by means of a predetermined movable mechanism, and in such a display device the display unit is often adapted to pop up from the interior of the dashboard portion only when it is in use in consideration of design or protection against dust.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,844,997, in modern motor vehicles, a display screen is frequently provided in the area of the dashboard, which is used as an output interface of an onboard computer for displaying manifold environmental and operating variables, such as the outside temperature, the fuel consumption, etc. Additionally, or alternatively, such a display screen is frequently also used as an output device of a navigation system, automobile radio, etc. If a touch sensitive display screen (touch screen) is used or if separate operating elements are assigned to a display which is not touch sensitive per se, such a display screen can also be provided as an input interface for the onboard computer, the navigation system, or the automobile radio. Display screens are also used in the rear area of the vehicle interior, where they are primarily part of a multimedia entertainment system.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,072,743 discloses an on-board monitor device for a motor vehicle, having a monitor which can be moved in a driven fashion by means of a drive mechanism from an inactive position in a recess in a dashboard through an opening in the recess into an active position outside the recess, and from the above position into the inactive position, wherein furthermore a cover which closes the opening in the inactive position can be moved in a driven fashion, coupled in terms of movement, by the drive mechanism into a position which clears the opening in the active position.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,002,179 discloses a console display assembly that uses a mechanical positioning mechanism to adjust a display member between a hidden position and a visible position. The '179 patent states that the use of a motor to make adjustment adds complexity and expense to the display.
The term ‘bus’ and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to a subsystem that transfers information and/or data between various components. A bus generally refers to the collection communication hardware interface, interconnects, bus architecture, and/or protocol defining the communication scheme for a communication system and/or communication network. A bus may also be specifically referred to as a part of communication hardware that interfaces the communication hardware with the interconnects that connect to other components of a corresponding communication network. The bus may be for a wired network, such as a physical bus, or wireless network, such as part of an antenna or hardware that couples the communication hardware with the antenna. A bus architecture supports a defined format in which information and/or data is arranged when sent and received through a communication network. A protocol may define the format and rules of communication of a bus architecture.
The term “vehicle”, as used herein, includes any conveyance, or model of a conveyance, where the conveyance was originally designed for the purpose of moving one or more tangible objects, such as people, animals, cargo, and the like. The term “vehicle” does not require that a conveyance moves or is capable of movement. Typical vehicles may include but are in no way limited to cars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, automobiles, trains, railed conveyances, boats, ships, marine conveyances, submarine conveyances, airplanes, space craft, flying machines, human-powered conveyances, and the like.
The terms “head unit,” “dash,” “dashboard,” “instrument panel,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any panel and/or area of a vehicle disposed adjacent to an operator, user, and/or passenger. Typical dashboards may include but are not limited to one or more control panel, instrument housing, head unit, indicator, gauge, meter, light, audio equipment, computer, screen, display, HUD unit, and graphical user interface.
The term “display” as used herein, refers to a portion of a screen used to display the output of a computer to a user.
The term “display orientation,” as used herein, refers to the way in which a rectangular display is oriented by a user for viewing. The two most common types of display orientation are portrait and landscape. In landscape more, the display is oriented such that the width of the display is greater than the height of the display (such as 4:3 ratio, which is 4 units wide and 3 units tall, or a 16:9 ratio, which is 16 units wide and 9 units tall). Stated differently, the longer dimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in landscape mode while the shorter dimension of the display is oriented substantially vertical. In the portrait mode, by contrast, the display is oriented such that the width of the display is less than the height of the display. Stated differently, the shorter dimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in the portrait mode while the longer dimension of the display is oriented substantially vertical. The multi-screen display can have one composite display that encompasses all the screens. The composite display can have different display characteristics based on the various orientations of the device.
The term “gesture recognition” or “gesture capture,” as used herein, refers to a sense or otherwise a detection of an instance and/or type of user gesture. The gesture capture can occur in one or more areas of the screen. A gesture region can be on the display, where it may be referred to as a touch sensitive display or off the display where it may be referred to as a gesture capture area.
A “multi-screen application,” as used herein, refers to an application that is capable of producing one or more windows that may simultaneously occupy multiple screens. A multi-screen application commonly can operate in single-screen mode in which one or more windows of the application are displayed only on one screen or in multi-screen mode in which one or more windows are displayed simultaneously on multiple screens.
A “single-screen application” as used herein, refers to an application that is capable of producing one or more windows that may occupy only a single screen at a time.
The term “touch screen,” or “touchscreen,” as used herein, references to a physical structure that enables the user to interact with the computer by touching areas on the screen and provides information to a user through a display. The touch screen may sense user contact in a number of different ways, such as by a change in an electrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic wave variations, infrared radiation proximity detection, light variation detection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, for example, normally separated conductive and resistive metallic layers in the screen pass an electrical current. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in the contacted location, whereby a change in electrical field is noted and the coordinates of the contacted location calculated. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layer stores electrical charge, which is discharged to the user upon contact with the touch screen, causing a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer. The decrease is measured, and the contacted location coordinates determined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted through the screen and the acoustic wave is disturbed by user contact. A receiving transducer detects the user contact instance and determines the contacted location coordinates.
The term “window” refers to a, typically rectangular, displayed image on at least part of a display that contains or provides content different from the rest of the screen. The window may obscure the desktop.
Despite the above prior art there is a need for a low-cost, compact, assembly capable of deploying an electronic device having a display screen in a vehicle.